Have you heard the story of the man and his family who walked by a home on fire? Mr. Smith was on his way to the park with his wife and three children. They were going to spend the day playing in the playground, sailing boats in the pond, and enjoying God’s gift to them. You see, it was Sunday afternoon and church was out. They had heard a glorious sermon, and the music was so uplifting. The children colored pictures at Sunday School, and hung them with pride on the refrigerator in their lovely home.
This day was special for other reasons as well. Today was the day that their twelve-year-old daughter, Mandy, had been baptized. One week earlier, she went forward at the altar and prayed to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior. So it truly was a great day for this Christian family. Little did they know that on the way to the park they would be faced with an immense test of faith and love.
“Fire!” cried little Sally Smith as she looked ahead toward the park. Ahead was a small, wood-framed house with white
shutters and faded blue paint that was peeling in most places. The roof needed repair and the lawn was overgrown with weeds. The McClintock family lived there with their two young children. The family had moved to the town about 18 months earlier, and the Smiths had walked past their house many times before on their way to the park. They had seen the family when they were out in the yard and had met them at the park on occasion.The McClintocks didn’t go to church. Mr. McClintock was a truck driver, and he drank a lot of beer, smoked, and was usually pretty unfriendly to the neighbors. That was if anyone bothered to say anything to Mr. McClintock, most didn’t. You see in Niceville most people were Christians and went to church on Sunday; they tried to obey the Golden Rule—“Don’t get involved in other people’s business.” But this day would be different for the Smiths. They would be faced with going against the Golden Rule they had tried so hard to keep. In fact, Mr. Smith was very consistent at keeping the Golden Rule. Only a few days before, he was asked at the grocery store if he thought everyone should believe in Jesus. “Well,” he replied, “I think that everyone needs to believe in something, and I don’t think people should push their religion on others.”
However, today as the Smiths approached the park, they saw the flames! Mr. Smith’s heart jumped inside him like never before. He ran towards the McClintock’s house and could see the flame flickering through the downstairs window. Racing around the side of the house, he saw the McClintock family through the upstairs window. They seemed to be sitting watching TV and enjoying a snack. Mr. McClintock was drinking his daily beer. The flames were growing larger, and the house was filling with smoke, but Mr. Smith stood paralyzed not wanting to break the “Golden Rule.” “What should I do?” he thought, “They seem to be fine and they will probably notice the smoke and flames before the fire kills them.” As he stood looking in the window, he fought with all his might the urge in his heart, and then turned, rejoined his family and headed to the park to celebrate Mandy’s new birth. The next day as Mr. Smith read the newspaper, the headline read “FAMILY OF FOUR DIES IN HORRIBLE FIRE.” Police and fire reports showed that the fire started in the basement of the home. It took at least six or eight hours for the smoldering basement wires to burst into flames, and then another two or three hours before the flames reached the family upstairs. Authorities said that by all accounts many had passed by the McClintock’s house that day. They had passed by on the other side as they headed to the park after a glorious day at church.
